The Equity Tool for Valuing Global Health Partnerships

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Health Equity
• Partnership Studies

Background:

• Global health partnerships (GHPs) operate within contexts of global inequities, influenced by historical and sociopolitical factors.
• Ensuring equity throughout the lifespan of GHPs remains a significant challenge for practitioners.
• Existing frameworks offer limited guidance on identifying and addressing equity issues within partnerships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a user-friendly tool for evaluating global health partnerships through an equity lens.
• To provide guidance for embedding and nurturing equity in GHPs from inception to completion.
• To offer a novel approach for valuing and advancing equity in global health collaborations.

Main Methods:

• Scoping review of peer-reviewed literature.
• Online surveys and telephone interviews.
• Workshops in Canada, Burkina Faso, and Vietnam.
• Critical interpretive synthesis and content validation.

Main Results:

• GHPs frequently generate experiences of both equity and inequity.
• There is a notable lack of practical guidance for identifying and responding to equity issues in GHPs.
• The developed Equity lens Tool (EQT) provides a structured approach for assessing equity implications.

Conclusions:

• The Equity lens Tool (EQT) can guide reflective dialogue to advance equity in global health partnerships.
• Practitioners can utilize the EQT to cultivate equity within their specific partnership contexts.
• The EQT offers a new method for valuing GHPs and promoting a more equitable global health community.